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Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Banana Bread
It took me 16 years and a trip to Barbados to conquer banana bread.
I know that sounds extreme and absurd, but it's true!
My mom makes it, my sister makes it, my friends make it. Over the years they gave me tips, recipes, even condolences.
It was an unexplainable phenomenon. I was competent at so many other kitchen tasks, but could not figure out why banana bread just wouldn't work out for me. So, I swore it off.  If my family wanted banana bread, they would have to visit the kitchens of other, more capable bakers.
Years later while on holiday in Barbados, eating the most wonderful fresh fish and baked goods, I began asking the staff at our hotel about a few of their recipes. One of which was their banana bread.
After a lengthy conversation,  their conclusion was that my problem wasn't my recipe at all. Or my ingredients, or my timing. None of these were the source of my banana bread disasters. According to my Bajan friends,  it was my technique that was all wrong.
In a world where my mixer typically does all the stirring, scraping, mixing and kneading within a five-mile radius; it turns out, it shouldn't have been allowed to lay a paddle on my banana bread.
The ladies in Barbados told me I was overmixing my batter.  In fact, I wasn't just overmixing, I was beating it into submission. Which, apparently, banana bread batter does not take kindly to.  I'm not sure why this wasn't obvious to me. After they stopped laughing at me, they urged me to stop using my mixer and made me promise to mix by hand now and forevermore.
When I arrived home, I gave Banana Bread one-more-try. Their banana bread.
Those lovely Bajan ladies weren't just right, they were spot on. It was like magic. On my first try, armed with new tips and methods, my Banana Bread turned out beautifully for the first time in 16 years.
Banana Bread

My favorite souvenirs from that trip are the recipes I returned with. The hotel staff sent me home with a handful of typed and printed Bajan inspired recipes. When I have a recipe I love, and it's accompanied by a memorable story, it earns a place in the recipe box of beloved and secret treasures of my kitchen.
Maybe you don't have a problem with banana bread.  Maybe your great aunt's recipe works perfectly every time.  But maybe you're like me and you and banana bread just don't get along. If you can relate,  I am pulling it out of the vault today and sharing it with you. Here it is, my banana bread recipe -  from my kitchen  Barbados to your kitchen.

Michelle's Banana Bread 

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 1 loaf
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 C melted butter
1/2 C sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg (or allspice can be used)
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/3 C raisins, chopped nuts, cranberries, blueberries, or chocolate chips (optional)
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat oven to 350℉. Mash bananas with a fork or potato masher. With a wooden spoon, mix melted butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Fold in the sugar, egg, spice, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda, your optional mix-ins, and salt over the mixture and gently fold in. Sift in the flour last, mix.  Do not Over Mix Batter.
Pour mixture into buttered 4x8 loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack, remove from pan and slice to serve.

Additional Tips
~If using frozen cranberries or blueberries please bring them to room temperature, pat dry and sprinkle and coat them with a little flour before adding them to the mixture.
~Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar or oats.


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